Public urged to engineer new inventions

Queenslanders are being encouraged to submit inventions online as part of a $2.5 million engineering awareness campaign.

Engineers Australia chief executive Peter Taylor says the Make It So website is designed to inspire more Queenslanders to fulfil a career in engineering.

He says the public often forgets the innovations engineers have contributed to society.

"The public generally think engineering is one of those respected professions and would be more than happy to recommend it for someone to study, but on the other hand they really don't understand all that much about it," Mr Taylor said.

"If you ask somebody what their perception of engineering is, they'd probably say 'bridges, roads' and probably not much else, but it's about much more than that.

"It's about the water we drink, it's about biomedical research and appliances which help the body to heal and to help doctors to do their work.

"It's about if you switch on a light, there's engineering behind the generation of electricity and the creation of all aspects for it."